Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was released from preventive detention late Tuesday night, after 14 months. "Ms Mehbooba Mufti being released," Rohit Kansal, J&K Principal Secretary, tweeted last night. She was detained on 5 August last year, soon after the Central government scrapped Article 370 that granted special status to J&K.
The Peoples Democratic Party chief Mufti was detained by the government for more than a year, on charges under the Public Safety Act (PSA) of 1978. Soon after her release, Mufti took to her Twitter account and said in an audio message that she cannot forget the "insult" and "humiliation" they faced on August 5 when Article 370 was nullified "illegally" and in an "anti-democratic" manner. Here's the post:
She also called the scrapping of Article 370 a “black decision taken on a black day”.
"We need to take back what Delhi Darbar took away from us illegally and in an undemocratic manner. Not only this, but the issue of Kashmir needs to be resolved too for which several Kashmiris have given up their lives. I know the path won't be easy but we need to continue with this struggle. Today, when I am being let off, I demand the release of others who are still in detention illegally," Mufti said in a message post her release, asking for the release of all those who are still in jail under the same law.
Mehbooba Mufti: First woman Chief Minister Jammu & Kashmir
Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman Chief Minister of J& K, in the year 2016. She resigned from her post in 2018 after the Bharatiya Janata Party ended its alliance with People’s Democratic Party.
When she was detained under the controversial law which allows detention without charge for up to two years, Iltija Mufti, Mehbooba’s daughter, had filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging it. After Mufti's release, Iltija tweeted, "As Ms Mufti’s illegal detention finally comes to an end, Id like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all."
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah also tweeted about Mufti's release, writing, "pleased to hear that Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba has been released after more than a year in detention. Her continued detention was a travesty & was against the basic tenets of democracy. Welcome out Mehbooba."
Also Read: Landmark: Mehbooba Mufti is Kashmir’s first woman chief minister
Omar and his father Farooq Abdullah had also been detained under the PSA for over seven months. They were released in March this year.
Image Credit: PTI
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